Dawn
by MizC
Summary: Bennett said we'd never be normal. And he's right. Because we're not normal. -- Elle smiled wickedly in the glowing light. -- We're special. -- AU after 3x12, spoilers through 3x13
1. Gabriel and Elle: The Beach

_AN: So this was written for heroes_bigboom on Livejournal. There's art and a fanmix to go along with it over at my LJ (livejournal . com / b_dsaint) and thank you Annie for betaing and listening to me whine... It's complete, so I'll be posting each part every few days...  
_

_Disclaimer: Heroes belongs to NBC and Kring... and I suppose maybe other people? I have no idea. I wish I owned Sylar though... and Elle. YUM  
_

* * *

Elle appeared with a gasp on the beach. Standing a few feet away, the sound caused Gabriel to turn, muscles coiled, but at the site of her trembling form he relaxed and walked towards her.

"What was that?" She asked as she took a step and winced. Raw pain shot from the wound in her leg through her nerves. Like getting electrocuted from the inside out. Elle would know, she'd done it. It made her stomach turn.

"Hiro Nakamura," Gabriel replied with a scowl. Of all their enemies, he hated Hiro the most. He constantly ruined everything Gabriel tried to do.

Elle winced again as she walked toward him, stumbling slightly on the soft sand. "Strange day," she gasped.

Gabriel ignored her struggles as he stared intensely. "Was Bennett lying about my parents?" He spoke quickly, agitated, forcing the words out. It's nothing like his normal smooth, practically arrogant, drawl. Elle missed it.

"Of course he was," she sighed. "He's Bennett." Inwardly she shrugged. She was pretty sure Bennett was lying, at least in part. Elle had seen Gabriel's file, and there was nothing in it about him being a Petrelli, that part she knew was true. Of course that doesn't mean he wasn't a Petrelli. The Company had no qualms about leaving information out of files if someone felt it was necessary. A third Petrelli son would count as something damn significant, and Bennett would know if it had been covered up. He seemed to know all The Company secrets.

"He seemed to think you knew something about it." Gabriel studied her, trying to figure her out; to see all the variables and form a coherent picture. It's not a way he usually used his ability, although theoretically he knew it was possible. He preferred the direct approach instead. It was messier, true, but quicker and as equally effective.

"He's just trying to mess... with you." Elle faltered, the pain in her leg worsening by the second. She'd been moving and running on her injured leg for most of the day. The muscle felt torn to pieces, and a cold numbness had started to spread slowly outward from the wound.

Gabriel couldn't ignore her wince that time and he put a cautious hand on her shoulder. His face softened into a look of concern, though the calculating gleam lingered in his eyes. "Sit down," he said, guiding her gently to the sand.

She let him lead her, using his strong arms as counterweight as she managed to sit and straighten her leg. She sighed, dropping her head forward as the pain lessened. Gabriel reached out slowly to brush away her hair and she flinched involuntarily. He dropped his eyes, hand falling away from her as he looked hurt, and she was too tired, too hazy with pain to explain that it wasn't him, it was her and her issues. Instead she lightly touched his wrist and gazed up at him; she didn't flinch as he brushed her hair to the side and cupped her face.

He leaned in to kiss her and she responded eagerly, ignoring the throbbing in her leg as she gripped his arms and leaned back, pulling him on top of her as he slid his tongue along the crease of her lips before delving inside. Her hand slid up his shoulder, intent on wrapping itself in his dark hair, but Gabriel captured her hand and pressed it into the sand above her head. He drew the kiss out a moment, savouring her taste, before breaking away and settling himself more firmly on top of her.

"I've been thinking." His voice was gentle, but the sudden coldness in his eyes made her heart clench.

She swallowed hard, unable to control the trembling in her voice that had nothing to do with the pain from her leg. "About what?"

He stared, seemingly entranced, at their hands as he twined their fingers together. She tried to shift from under him but his weight pressed down on her and he squeezed her hand too tight. A warning. She was trapped. "What you said about finding ourselves free of parents. Of powers." His thumb rubbed gently against hers, a soothing gesture overshadowed by the way he held her caged under him.

She swallowed hard and tried to focus on the soft glide of his thumb against hers; on her Gabriel, not their Sylar. "What about it?"

He looked at her, dark eyes smoldering with repressed anger and hurt. "You were wrong," he hissed. "Nobody ever really changes."

Elle squeezed his hand, tried to keep her voice calm even as her heart raced. The tension was palpable, and she knew that if she said the wrong thing, she'd end up just another brainless victim of Sylar's psychosis. It was what the Company had made him. "You changed," she insisted. "I saw you."

"That was temporary. And then I got my powers back." He's not sorry he got them back; it had saved his life. But a part of him had relished the day without powers, the chance to be free from his parents and expectations. It's the part he was ruthlessly trying to suppress. "And I understand now, that I'm never going to change." He glared at her, daring her, no begging her, to contradict him. "Neither are you, because we're both just damaged goods."

Elle blinked back tears. He squeezed her legs between his and the pressure on her wound sent wave after wave of pain crashing through her body. But it was the broken look in Gabriel's eyes, not the pain, that had her heart sinking.

"Please... Gabriel don't do this."

His eyes shifted, equally as dark but a little less broken at the sound of his name. Hope rose in her heart and she let it rise in her voice.

"Don't you see Gabriel, that we can change? We can be whoever we want." She hurried on as his weight shifted and it became easier to breathe. He didn't interrupt her, hadn't killed her, and that meant he was listening. "Bennett said we'd never be normal. And he's right. Because we're not normal." Elle sparked her hand and felt his power respond, blue electricity crackling and popping around their joined hands. She smiled wickedly in the glowing light. "We're special."

Gabriel stared down at her silently for a moment, before a small smile curved over his lips. "We are special," he agreed.

He pushed himself into a sitting position, straddling Elle's thighs, and she gasped in pain. He looked confused for a moment before his eyes widened in remembrance. He looked down at her leg as he quickly rolled off of her. Gabriel crouched in the sand, pulling off the bandage and examining the ragged wound. "We have to get the bullet out."

Elle bit her lip, dropping her head on to the sand. "Use your TK," she groaned. The pain of him ripping the bullet out couldn't be any worse than the nauseating waves that ripped through her body.

Gabriel looked at her sharply. "I'm taking you to a hospital," he growled. He tugged her into his arms, ignoring her cries of pain, and stood easily with her cradled to his chest.

"No doctors," she begged. It's one of the first rules she remembered learning. You couldn't trust doctors. Doctors had needles, and drugs, and machines. Doctors could, and would, hurt you.

Gabriel sighed. He knew he could remove the bullet easily, but not without causing even more damage to the muscle. He could heal himself without a thought but for all his powers he couldn't heal her. "Your leg's infected," he explained. "You need to go to a hospital."

Elle huffed and looked around the deserted beach. "We don't even know where we are! Just take the bullet out yourself, I'll be fine!"

Gabriel smirked and adjusted her body in his arms. "Hold on."

Elle opened her mouth to complain, but the world shifted abruptly around her and suddenly they were outside the emergency room of a hospital. Elle gaped up at Gabriel's smug expression.

"You can teleport?!" She asked in shock.

Gabriel didn't answer, but the slow grin on his face told her all she needed to know. "This explains so much," she muttered to herself. All the times he had eluded the agents, how he always seemed to appear out of nowhere.

Gabriel carried her through the doors into the ER. "She's been shot!" he yelled hoarsely. Immediately a nurse came over. One glance at Elle's leg and the nurse waved over a gurney. Gabriel placed Elle on the bed as gently as possible and stepped back as the nurses pushed the gurney towards surgery. Elle immediately felt panic wash over her and thrashed about wildly. The nurses struggled to hold her down, ordering her to be still.

"Gabriel!"

Her eyes meet his briefly. He looked sad but determined. Chills ran down Elle's spine and she strained to push herself off the bed. He held up her phone, let her see the screen as he scrolled through the numbers.

"I have to know the truth," he said softly.

"No! Gabriel!" She cried, pushing ineffectively at the nurses' hands. They pushed through the doors into the ER and Elle lost sight of Gabriel.

He was gone.

* * *

_more to come!  
_


	2. Gabriel: The Lie Detector

_AN: So this was written for heroes_bigboom on Livejournal. There's art and a fanmix to go along with it over at my LJ (livejournal . com / b_dsaint) and thank you Annie for betaing and listening to me whine... here's part 2!...  
_

_Disclaimer: Heroes belongs to NBC and Kring... and I suppose maybe other people? I have no idea. I wish I owned Sylar though... and Elle. YUM  
_

* * *

Gabriel pushed a hand through his hair in agitation as he appeared in the alley between two office buildings. Every fiber of his being pulled him to return to the hospital, to stay with Elle. But he needed to know the truth. Were the Petrellis truly his family or was it just another one of Arthur and Angela's sick games? Not knowing, not understanding, felt wrong. He had to know.

He quickly observed his surroundings, eyes falling on a parked delivery truck. Perfect. Teleporting into the office was possible, but without knowing the layout of the building, there was no way for Gabriel to plan his location. Impersonating the delivery man would be much easier.

Gabriel walked casually over to the truck and leaned back against the side. He whistled quietly to himself as he listened to the delivery man shuffle around inside the back of the truck. When he climbed out of the back of the truck Gabriel flicked his wrist, causing the truck door to slam against the head of the delivery man. With a muffled thump the man slipped to the ground. Gabriel threw the slumped body back into the truck with his telekinesis, climbing inside and closing the door behind him.

He climbed back out a moment later, dressed in the blue uniform of the delivery company and pushing back his hair. He tucked a square package under his arm and closed the truck's doors with a thud. With a casual glance at the traffic, he strolled across the street and into the large office building.

Gabriel smiled charmingly at the secretary in the main lobby. "Sue Landers' office please."

The secretary blushed under his gaze and typed quickly on her computer. "Tenth floor," she read off the screen. "Go right on up."

Gabriel smiled in thanks, prompting another blush from the secretary, and turned away. The elevator ride seemed to last forever. He found his thoughts straying to Elle and he ruthlessly squashed them. He hurried on to the tenth floor, finding Sue Landers' office easily and walking in.

The office was empty. He wandered the room, examining the birthday decorations. The opening of the door interrupted his musings, causing Gabriel to turn quickly. A young woman entered, looking at him questioningly.

"Sue Landers?" The woman relaxed and she smiled brightly with a nod. "Special Delivery." Gabriel set the box down on the corner of the desk.

Sue's smile faded as she stared at him. "You're lying," she stated flatly. "You're not here to make a delivery."

Immediately Gabriel's curiosity started ticking. "Impressive, how did you do that?" His voice filled with the slightest bit of awe. His fingers twitched with the desire to delve into her mind and figure out her secrets, but he held himself back. He flicked his fingers instead, closing the door. Sue spun in surprise before looking back at him warily.

"What do you want?" She tried to keep her voice steady but Gabriel could see the fear in her eyes.

He tilted his head, studying her intently as he walked slowly around her. His brain clicked furiously. "To understand what you do. The human lie detector? How does that work, when someone tells a lie?" He smirked slightly. "Does it tingle?"

"How did you know about me?" Sue demanded, doing her best to glare at him. "Who are you?"

Gabriel ignored her first question, knowing that her memories of spending time in the Company were nonexistent. He came to a stop between her and the door. "Someone who covets your ability," he answered honestly to her second question. His eyes narrowed as understanding continued to allude him. "I have to find out the truth about something."

Sue shook her head nervously, taking a step back. "No, you don't." Her teeth clenched. "Trust me."

"I'm sure it's hard," Gabriel contemplated, "seeing the ugly truth at every turn." He dropped his eyes, thoughts turning to his parents and their current manipulations. Was he truly their son, or just another pawn? He thought of Elle, and how he would have killed her on the beach if she hadn't talked him down. "It must make it hard to trust anyone."

Impatiently he pushed his introspective thoughts away. With his concentration broken, he lost the beginnings of understanding of Sue's power. He raised his hand, pushing Sue against the wall. It'd be easier to do things the old fashioned way. She whimpered as he walked closer, struggling against his invisible hold. "Shh..." he murmured. "It's not going to hurt a bit."

Sue's eyes widened in terror as she registered the lie in his words and he smiled in amusement. "Got me." His face hardened. "That's a lie."

He raised his finger, cutting through the skin and bone at the top of her skull. Sue gurgled in pain, half-strangled scream cut off as she died. Gabriel let her body slump to the ground, small smirk playing over his lips. He knelt down, tracing his fingers lightly over Sue's exposed brain. Immediately understanding rushed through him and the tension in his body melted away. "I almost forgot how good this feels."

The door flew open as Sue's coworkers burst in. "Happy Birthday...." Their voices trailed off in horror.

Gabriel smirked as he stood, blood dripping from his hands, endorphins from acquiring a new power flooding his system. "Cake?" he asked, as the coworkers stared at him, unable to process the gruesome scene they had walked in on.

He slammed the door shut behind them with a small gesture. The ladies stood frozen with fear as he approached; the man backed away, dropping the cake as he fell against the door.

Gabriel stopped, looking at the ruined cake with a frown. "Look what you did." He raised his eyes, flinging the man across the room and into the desk. The man groaned, head striking the corner.

The ladies cowered as he stood over them. One eyebrow rose as he contemplated them. Neither one had any kind of power, but he hated to leave witnesses alive. "Nothing personal," he informed them, before slicing their throats with a quick gesture. They died quickly, blood spurting.

Gabriel grimaced, looking down at the blood smeared uniform. He needed some new clothes before he went to Pinehearst. A quick stop home first, before he confronted Arthur and demanded the truth.

* * *

_more to come!  
_


	3. Elle: The Hospital

_AN: So this was written for heroes_bigboom on Livejournal. There's art and a fanmix to go along with it over at my LJ (livejournal . com / b_dsaint) and thank you Annie for betaing and listening to me whine... here's part 3!..._

_Thank you for everyone who's reviewed! It's nice to hear feedback from people :-)  
_

_Disclaimer: Heroes belongs to NBC and Kring... and I suppose maybe other people? I have no idea. I wish I owned Sylar though... and Elle. YUM  
_

* * *

Elle blinked her way back to consciousness slowly. Fuzzy white light gave way to solid lines and objects. Everything was still white, however. Elle groaned as her memory rushed back. The eclipse, losing her powers, getting shot. The beach, stopping Gabriel, the hospital. Gabriel disappearing.

She looked around, head still fuzzy from whatever pain medication the doctors had her on. She could barely feel her leg, let alone the pain from the bullet wound and the surgery she'd undergone. Elle yanked the IV out of her arm with a wince, the sight of the needle bringing back half-repressed childhood memories.

A nurse rushed in almost immediately. She rolled her eyes when she saw the removed IV. "It's for the pain," the nurse informed her, moving closer to insert a new needle.

Elle pulled her arm away and glared blearily at the nurse. Her head was clearing quickly, her powers helping to metabolize the drugs in her system. With the clearing of her head came a dull roar of pain from her leg. "I don't like needles."

The nurse stared at her a moment, lips pursed, before throwing up her hands and walking away. "I'll get the doctor."

Elle pushed the white blanket off her legs, examining the thick bandage wrapped around her upper thigh. She started to tug at the medical tape that held it in place.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. You've got ten stitches in that leg, and we're already treating you for infection." The doctor eyed the dangling IV as he entered the room. "Well, we were."

Elle flipped her hair back over her shoulder, jaw set as she glared stubbornly at the doctor. "Yeah, well, you aren't me." She finished tugging off the bandage, examining the angry red wound on her leg. "I need to go." She swung her legs over the side of the bed, ignoring the nauseating pain that accompanied the movement.

The doctor held up his hand to stop her. "Wait a minute miss. You shouldn't be going anywhere. You're still recovering from surgery and the beginnings of an infection. You need to stay for at least 24 hours for observation."

Elle huffed, eager to get out of the hospital and to find Gabriel. "I'm fine. I'm a big girl, I can handle a bit of pain."

The doctor shook his head, making a note on the chart in his hands. "I'm not releasing you until tomorrow morning at the earliest. Just lay back and take it easy. Let your body heal." He made another notation. "The nurse will be in with some oral medication you can take, instead of the IV."

Elle crossed her arms, pouting as she collapsed back on to the hospital bed. Her mind whirled as she started planning her escape. "Fine."

The doctor looked pleased at her cooperation and turned to leave.

"Wait!" Elle sat up, one hand outstretched. The doctor turned back, eyebrow raised in question.

Elle smiled, looking at the doctor innocently from beneath her eyelashes. "Can I at least have some decent clothes?"

* * *

_more to come!  
_


	4. Gabriel: The Truth

_AN: So this was written for heroes_bigboom on Livejournal. There's art and a fanmix to go along with it over at my LJ (livejournal . com / b_dsaint) and thank you Annie for betaing and listening to me whine... here's part 4!..._

_Thank you for everyone who's reviewed! It's nice to hear feedback from people :-) A bit longer scene this time... quotes are directly from Heroes.  
_

_Disclaimer: Heroes belongs to NBC and Kring... and I suppose maybe other people? I have no idea. I wish I owned Sylar though... and Elle. YUM  
_

* * *

Gabriel appeared soundlessly in the hallway at Pinehearst. He tilted his head, trying to focus his hearing to locate Arthur. He frowned a bit as he heard Nathan. _What was he doing there?_ Before he could focus on Nathan he picked up the traces of Arthur's voice, coming from down another hall and he sounded annoyed. Forgetting Nathan for the moment, Gabriel hurried towards the voice, dialing down the hum of his power as he did to hide his presence.

He stopped short as he rounded the corner. There in the hallway, right in front of him, Peter and the Haitian stared down Arthur. He frowned at the sight of the Haitian and quickly crackled a bit of blue electricity in his hand. No, his powers were still working. The Haitian was completely focused on keeping Arthur in check. He studied the scene and tilted his head thoughtfully to the side.

"...Creating abilities like this? Giving them out? You'll destroy the world." Peter finished. He sounded angry and desperate.

Gabriel felt the slight tingle he'd quickly come to associate with someone telling the truth. Not only could he tell Peter was telling the truth, as far as he saw it, but Peter had complete conviction in the words he spoke. There were nuances to the truth that Gabriel hadn't expected. It was turning out to be an interesting power.

"In your opinion," Arthur scoffed. He looked cautious but calm. It was as if he wasn't taking Peter seriously, despite the gun pointed at his head. Gabriel narrowed his eyes. Of course, Peter was currently powerless. Did that change Arthur's opinion of his son? It shouldn't.

"I've seen it," Peter insisted. Gabriel put a hand to his temple with a wince. The truth was a funny thing. Even as they disagreed, they both told the truth, the version as they saw it. The conflicting echoes created a strange cacophony in Gabriel's head.

"This ends now." Peter's voice was strong, but the tone changed, and he was again amazed at the intricacies of his newest power. Peter wanted to be telling the truth, believed he was telling the truth, but there was an undercurrent of uncertainty in his own words that tainted the echo.

"I don't believe you have the nerve to kill me, Peter." Arthur stepped forward confidently. His tone echoed without falter in Gabriel's mind. He was serious. He truly didn't believe Peter had it within him to pull the trigger and kill him. He had no faith in his son's ability to face a threat.

The realization chilled Gabriel. If Arthur couldn't even believe in the son he didn't give up, how could Arthur believe in the one he did? Was Bennett right, and the Petrellis weren't really his parents? Was it all just a lie? Even if they were his parents, did he really want them to be? All he had wanted from his adopted mother was her to accept him the way he was, and in the end she had been unable, unwilling, to. If his real parents, whoever they were, couldn't do that either, then did he want to know them?

In front of him the Haitian faltered. His entire focus was on Arthur, but Arthur was proving too strong for him. Too many powers condensed in one person for the Haitian to contain them all for long.

"Listen to me son, there is another way. The formula is ready, Nathan is here. I can give you your abilities back. We can start over." Arthur was stalling, Gabriel could tell. Oh he spoke the truth, the formula really could give Peter his abilities back, but the sickening dissonance that echoed in his head told Gabriel that Arthur had no intention of giving them to him. The manipulation dug at Gabriel's soul. Was this what they had been doing to him? Had they given him false promises so that he'd do what they said without question? Was he so desperate for a family that he'd believed all their lies?

"No." Peter rejected the offer without hesitation and Gabriel raised an eyebrow, impressed despite himself. He could feel the desire radiating off Peter, the yearning for his powers back, but he refused to be selfish. Gabriel doubted he would do the same.

Gabriel stepped forward as sweat started dripping from the Haitian's face. He wouldn't be able to hold Arthur back much longer. Peter's resolve was weakening, Gabriel could see it in every line of Peter's body. "Just... wait..." Peter whispered.

"That's your problem son. Too much thought, not enough action." Arthur's voice was laced with contempt. "How could you be my son?" The truth rang in Gabriel's head, and it made him sick to his stomach. How can someone hold their son in such disregard?

The gun startled Gabriel as it went off and he threw his hand up in reflex, catching the bullet inches from Arthur's head. He held Arthur in place as well, even as the Haitian recovered and returned to dampening Arthur's powers. Peter pulled the trigger. He was a little shocked Peter had actually gone through with it, though Peter was radiating a fair bit of shock himself. He mentally rolled his eyes as Peter pointed the gun at him and he pushed it out of his hands. Bullets couldn't hurt him, not permanently anyway, but they could prove to be an irritating distraction. Gabriel had important things to focus on at the moment.

"Hello Arthur." He tilted his head slightly as he walked and stared at the man claiming to be his father.

"Gabriel," Arthur drawled. "You're here."

Gabriel felt the unease radiating off Arthur and he smirked. That he, the unwanted son, could break the confidence of this man was a heady feeling.

"I am. No place I'd rather be than with family." In a way, it was true. All he'd wanted, ever, was a complete family. Despite his misgivings after witnessing Arthur's contempt of Peter, he still wanted a father. A mother. Hell, he could even deal with having brothers if it meant he was part of a family. He didn't know Nathan, but he had found himself actually liking Peter.

He felt Peter looking between them uneasily. Suddenly he was glad that Peter was powerless, no on could tell how nervous he was. Gabriel raised an eyebrow as he stared at Arthur. "Are you really my family?" He held his breath.

"Of course." Arthur sounded hesitant, unsure. "I'm your father."

The truth rang in Gabriel's head. It twinged with an undercurrent of distaste and loathing. His heart sank as he realized what Sue meant when she said he really didn't want to know the truth. Arthur was his father. But he was certainly not happy about it.

"Now I know the truth." Gabriel hid the pain the realization caused under a smirk. He'd finally found the family he'd been yearning for, and they didn't want him. He felt abandoned twice over.

He turned to Peter, his brother. Disbelief and confusion radiated from him as he looked from their father to Gabriel and back again. "You're not a killer Peter." It was amazing how protective he felt for the younger man, knowing the truth, knowing that their parents had lied to him his entire life. He knew what killing could do to you, what it had done to him, and he wasn't going to let Peter go down that path. Not when he could easily prevent it. "I am." He growled the truth and didn't even look at Arthur as he flung the bullet into his brain.

Peter flinched, breathing hard, as Arthur's body fell to the ground. Disbelief, shock and a tiny bit of gratitude reflected in his eyes. He looked at the gun on the floor then up at Gabriel. "It's not true then?" he asked hesitantly. "He's not your father?"

Gabriel smirked, confidence restored as he eliminated Arthur from his life. He lowered his hand. "Actually he was," he said nonchalantly.

Peter gaped at him. Gabriel contemplated asking what he was thinking. How did it feel, to have it confirmed you had an older brother your parents never told you about? Especially when said older brother killed your father so that you wouldn't have to? He decided it was probably something Peter wouldn't want to talk about. Or that he'd want to hear.

Gabriel studied Peter for a moment. Disbelief and shock were fading fast into a feeling of sadness and confusion. It tugged at him, at his new found feelings of brotherhood, and he cast about for something to say. "Nathan's here," he suddenly remembered.

Peter nodded, still looking lost. "He was helping Dad."

"Interesting." Gabriel ignored the feeling in his chest at Peter's quick acceptance of their familial connection. He started to back away towards the door before hesitating. "Arthur wasn't lying," he said finally. "The formula is ready."

He turned abruptly, feeling uncomfortable, and opened a side door. He looked back over his shoulder at his brother. "You can get your ability back," he said, speaking in a softer voice than he'd ever used around anyone before except for Elle.

Peter was still staring after him as he closed the door.

* * *

_more to come!  
_


	5. Gabriel and Elle: Phone Calls

_AN: So this was written for heroes_bigboom on Livejournal. There's art and a fanmix to go along with it over at my LJ (livejournal . com / b_dsaint) and thank you Annie for betaing and listening to me whine... here's part 5!..._

_Thank you for everyone who's reviewed! It's nice to hear feedback from people :-) I know some people were all "eh what?" at Gabriel being a Petrelli, but I did say it was an AU right?  
_

_Disclaimer: Heroes belongs to NBC and Kring... and I suppose maybe other people? I have no idea. I wish I owned Sylar though... and Elle. YUM  
_

* * *

The ringing of Elle's phone surprised Gabriel into stopping outside Primatech. He pulled it out of his pocket and eyed it warily. 'Unknown Caller' flashed on the screen. He watched it ring for a moment, curiosity and hesitance warring, until it fell silent. He was contemplating calling the number back when it started ringing again. He opened the phone and lifted it slowly to his ear. "Hello?"

"You left me."

Gabriel felt the tightness in his chest from the past day suddenly relax. He breathed a tiny sigh of relief at the familiar voice. "Elle."

"You left me and you took my phone!"

Gabriel smirked at the indignation in her tone. "You obviously found another," he teased her.

In an alley deep in the heart of New York City, Elle looked at the man lying at her feet. He looked back up at her fearfully. She sparked him the slightest bit and he twitched. A wickedly amused smile crossed her face. "You know me. I'm very persuasive," she chirped into her newly acquired phone.

Gabriel chuckled. "That you are." He hesitated for a moment. She'd called him; she'd been released from the hospital, or released herself, so she was OK. Despite the obvious, he couldn't help himself from asking. "Are you alright?" He needed to hear her say it.

She scowled into the phone, wishing he was there so she could show him just how OK she was. A few hundred volts would get the point across. "I'm fine. Which you would know, if you hadn't left me!"

He tilted his head back against the wall behind him and sighed. She wanted him to say he was sorry, but Gabriel wasn't one to apologize for what he did, not when he thought he was right. They could go back and forth all day, and he had somewhere he needed to be. "I told you, I had to know the truth."

Elle got quiet on the phone. "And? Did you find it?"

Gabriel closed his eyes, remembering the distaste and loathing that had curled around the ringing truth in his head when Arthur claimed he was his father. The feelings of rejection surfaced anew and he shoved them ruthlessly aside. "In a way. Arthur's dead."

"Good!" Gabriel coughed out a laugh in surprise at Elle's perky reply. He could hear the discharge of electricity over the phone, followed by a male's low groan, and he shook his head in fond amusement. "Come get me."

Elle heard Gabriel sigh over the phone and she pouted. "Gabriel, come get me," she repeated.

"I can't," he replied, and Elle heard the determination in his voice. "I have to see my mother."

"Your mother? You mean Angela? You're really a Petrelli?" Elle didn't think to hide her surprise. She realized her mistake immediately as Gabriel growled into the phone.

"You said you knew Bennett was lying about my parents."

She ignored the accusation of her own dishonesty. "And I was right! He was lying!" She declared brightly. Of course it WAS possible Bennett thought he was telling the truth. She was pretty sure he had been lying though. Bennett's very high on the totem pole at The Company, the highest 'normal' there is. Though would Bennett have hid the fact that Claire was attacked by her uncle? Probably, she mused. He didn't have a great track record with secrets. Gabriel's voice broke her out of her thoughts.

"He was," Gabriel agreed. He followed her lead and let the topic of her own actions drop. "And he wasn't. Arthur really was using me."

Elle could almost taste Gabriel's bitterness through the phone and her heart ached. "Take me with you to see Angela."

"No." Gabriel denied Elle's demand immediately, shaking his head even though she couldn't see him. "This is something I need to do."

"I can help you. We make a good team, remember?" She's slightly begging, but she didn't care. She didn't know what had happened with Arthur, but he ended up dead so it couldn't have been good. That's two parents Gabriel's killed. If he killed a third, she wasn't sure what it would do to him.

"No Elle."

She scowled, stepping over the unconscious man and heading out of the alley determinedly. Her father's voice whispered in her brain about leaving witnesses but she pushed it aside stubbornly. He couldn't tell her what to do. She ignored the slight twinge of pain: the stitches in her leg pulled as they rubbed against the fabric of her jeans. "If you won't come get me I'll just go myself."

"Elle." Gabriel's quiet tone stopped her in her tracks. "You told me you me you had put The Company behind you. That you wanted nothing more to do with all this. This is your chance."

She fought back tears. She did want that, a new life with no one to answer to but herself. But she wanted Gabriel too. "I don't want to be normal anymore," she said fiercely.

"Elle you'll never be normal. We're special, remember?" She'd never heard him speak so gently, not even during the eclipse when they were powerless and free. "But you can start over."

"I don't know if I can," she admitted. Not without you.

Gabriel chuckled though his voice remained soft. "You can do anything, Elle."

"Let me help you," she begged one more time.

"Goodbye, Elle."

"Gabriel? Gabriel!" She screamed into the phone.

He'd already hung up.

* * *

_more to come!  
_


	6. Gabriel: Primatech

_AN: So this was written for heroes_bigboom on Livejournal. There's art and a fanmix to go along with it over at my LJ (livejournal . com / b_dsaint) and thank you Annie for betaing and listening to me whine... here's part 6!..._

_Dialogue is lifted directly from the episode. Well, the parts you recognize anyway. Obviously some things will have changed.  
_

_Disclaimer: Heroes belongs to NBC and Kring... and I suppose maybe other people? I have no idea. I wish I owned Sylar though... and Elle. YUM  
_

* * *

Gabriel pressed the power button the phone, watching it shut down, and pushed all thoughts of Elle from his mind. Now was the time to focus, and he couldn't do that if he was thinking of Elle. His eyes narrowed as he walked into the main Primatech building. He opened his senses, listening to the various voices in the building even as he killed the guards with a slash of his hand and a thought. Bennett, Claire, Angela... looked like the gang was all here.

He found the security room easily, watching Bennett load up on weapons and lead the way through the halls. Gabriel leaned back in the guard's chair, propping his feet up and closing his eyes. Controlling things with telepathy when he couldn't see them was much more difficult than his normal uses of the power, but he was always up for a challenge.

Gabriel smirked a bit as the building finished going into lockdown. "Arthur Petrelli is dead," he drawled into the intercom. He shook his head, eyes fixated on the grainy image of his mother on the monitor. "No need to go to Pinehearst now."

"Sylar?" Claire sounded surprised and nervous. He contemplated his niece for a moment. If he owed anyone in his family an apology, it was Claire. He'd put her through a lot in the past eighteen months. Of course he hadn't known she was his niece at the time, but he doubted that semantics really mattered to her.

"Don't worry Claire," he tried to reassure her. "Peter couldn't do it, so I did." Gabriel grinned sardonically and didn't hold back a self-deprecating chuckle. "Just like Mommy wanted." On screen Angela moved away from the others and the sound of Arthur's loathing echoed in his head. "I know I repulse you," he admitted. "Terrify you." If Arthur was to be believed, and Gabriel had serious doubts, then Angela had feared him ever since he was a baby. Feared what he would become.

"You see me as a monster," he mused, eyes narrowing on the monitor as he swung his feet off the table and stood. He could feel the anger building in him, wanting to be released and he had to bite it back. "And yet, you did this to me." It was all his parents' fault. They had abandoned him as a child. They had made him unwanted. They sent The Company after him; stopped him from killing himself. They turned him into a killer. Angela had fulfilled her own vision.

He studied Claire as she moved closer to the camera, unknowingly staring right back at him. The other abandoned Petrelli. "And before the night is over," he continued, "I'm going to prove to you, one by one, that you're all monsters. Exactly like me." Everyone had the capacity to kill if given the right motivation. He was going to give it to them.

They disappeared from the monitor briefly, reappearing on another screen. They were probably going to try and find him. The thought amused him briefly. Even after all this time, Noah was still underestimating him. He watched as Noah handed Claire a shotgun and arched an eyebrow in surprise. That was new.

"Think about it!" He smirked as they stopped, looking around. "Manipulative grandmother." Truly the root behind all the problems. "Neglectful father." Leaving behind his daughter to chase after people just like her. Gabriel appreciated the irony. He wondered if Noah did. "Mother who abandons her own daughter." Claire and he were a lot alike, he mused. Abandoned, neglected and manipulated by the very people who were supposed to protect them.

Gabriel paced the control room, ignoring the monitors. He could hear them walking through the hallways, he didn't really need the movie too. "All villains really."

He stopped, cocked his head to the side as he listened to his mother speaking. _"You really don't think you can stop Sylar?"_ Even over the distance, he could hear a resignation in her voice and he frowned. So he was Sylar again? No longer her Gabriel. Bitch.

Claire's voice echoed in his ears and he laughed at her confidence. _"Yeah, I do. Sylar's got my healing ability. There's a spot back here. Jab something in, it cuts off my brain, shuts me down."_ Her words caused Gabriel to blink in surprise before touching the back of his head. Oh. Well that wasn't good news.

He turned back to the monitor and watched Claire and his mother walk into Angela's office. "And Claire... you and I? We're more alike than any of them, we can't be damaged. I mean, except from a broken heart." And apparently a sweet spot on the back of the head. He was going to have to think about that little dilemma later. "That's what parents give us, isn't it?" His real parents gave him up. Her mother left her for dead. His adopted father abandoned him when he was five; her adopted father was never around. Impressive; the similarities.

Of course Claire didn't agree. "We're nothing alike, you sick bastard."

Gabriel tried not to let her hatred effect him. She was the only one with a good reason to hate him. Still, "Tsk, tsk Claire. I assure you, my parents were married when I was born. Isn't that right Mother?"

Claire looked back at Angela in surprise. "It's true?" she asked in disbelief. "Sylar's really your son?"

Angela stared back at her, jaw clenched shut. She looked over Claire's shoulder at the video camera in the corner and didn't answer.

Claire's face changed to one of disgust and she groaned.

Gabriel snarled in anger at the monitor as Angela refused to answer Claire. Blue electricity erupted from his hands, melting the controls on the table. Always the rejected son; even now, with the truth revealed, she wouldn't acknowledge him. He slammed out of the room, intent on ripping the truth out of her. She'd admit he was her son. Explain why she had done this to him. And then he'd kill her.

* * *

_more to come!  
_


	7. Elle: Decisions

_AN: So this was written for heroes_bigboom on Livejournal. There's art and a fanmix to go along with it over at my LJ (livejournal . com / b_dsaint) and thank you Annie for betaing and listening to me whine... here's a new part!  
_

_Thank you to everyone who's put this story on their favourites/left a review. It's so nice to hear from readers!  
_

_Disclaimer: Heroes belongs to NBC and Kring... and I suppose maybe other people? I have no idea. I wish I owned Sylar though... and Elle. YUM  
_

* * *

Elle stared at the phone in her hand, anger coursing through her. He'd hung up on her! The bastard! She contemplated going to Primatech. Finding Gabriel and electrocuting him until he agreed to let her help. Her fingers sparked at the idea and a wicked grin crossed her face.

After a moment she sighed and let the sparks die. Even if she did go to Primatech, she wouldn't get there until well after Gabriel and she'd miss all the fun. Gabriel was more than capable of handling whatever Primatech could throw at him, she had no doubt of that. But of handling what Angela could throw at him? That she wasn't so sure about. Angela'd spent her entire life manipulating everyone around her to do her bidding, and Gabriel had already proven to be easy prey for her.

Elle's eyes narrowed at the thought of the Petrelli matriarch. She'd easily manipulate Gabriel, Elle knew. Especially now, when he was more Gabriel, less Sylar. Working for his father had seemed to mellow him a bit. Still psychotic as ever, but less aimless. He'd devoted himself to his family's cause with hardly a thought, so trusting that his parents had his best interests at heart. Never mind they were on opposite sides of each other.

Now though, it'd blown up in his face, and Elle wasn't sure how it would ultimately effect him. She could still hear the desire in his voice, even through the tinny reception of the cell phone. The longing for family, the yearning for a place to belong and people to care about. It reminded her of the shy watchmaker she met months ago, before everything went to Hell in a hand-basket.

Elle shoved the phone into her pocket in annoyance. She was going to have to go after him, just to make sure that bitch of his mother didn't get her claws into him again. Angela was nothing if not manipulative when it came to her sons, and Gabriel had been turned into a killer on her orders once before. Not to say that he wasn't still a killer, but Elle knew he'd found some control over the hunger in the past few weeks. Angela could potentially ruin all the progress he'd made if she thought it would fulfill some grand scheme.

Besides, Gabriel had told her not to come, and she wasn't a fan of following orders. No one got to tell Elle Bishop what to do. Not anymore.

Decision made, she frowned as she looked around the street. No money, no car, and Primatech easily an hour away. Travel had definitely been easier when The Company had been footing the bill.

Her eyes landed on a red motorcycle parked by the side of the road. Elle's frown melted into a smile and her fingers twitched with a brief spark. Perfect.

* * *

_more to come!  
_


	8. Gabriel: Monsters

_AN: So this was written for heroes_bigboom on Livejournal. There's art and a fanmix to go along with it over at my LJ (livejournal . com / b_dsaint) and thank you Annie for betaing and listening to me whine... look its a second update in the same day :-)  
_

_Thank you to everyone who's put this story on their favourites/left a review. It's so nice to hear from readers! ... ah dialogue lifted from the episode, with some obvious changes.  
_

_Disclaimer: Heroes belongs to NBC and Kring... and I suppose maybe other people? I have no idea. I wish I owned Sylar though... and Elle. YUM  
_

* * *

Gabriel slammed the inmate into the wall and slit his throat with a flick of his fingers. Bennett must have released the locks on Level 5. He wondered what Noah promised them, to convince them to help him. Their freedom? Their lives? Gabriel wouldn't be surprised by either. Noah was willing to go to any lengths to kill Sylar; kill the monster he'd helped create. It would've impressed Gabriel if he hadn't hated the man so much.

He was passing the medical storage room when he got an idea. Gabriel slowed and retraced his steps, ripping the door off the hinges and stepping inside. He fingered a bottle of adrenaline with a wicked smile. Time to show Noah exactly what he was.

He looked up at the sound of labored breathing and teleported back into the hallway. Meredith walked ahead of him, gun pointed at the ground as she passed by his earlier handiwork. He smirked, using his telekinesis to roll a bottle of adrenaline towards her.

"They say adrenaline can kick start a dead heart," Gabriel said, watching Meredith panic and spin towards him, gun pointed. Didn't these people understand invulnerable? He flicked the gun aside anyway. Bullets were annoying.

Suddenly he felt his muscles stiffen. His arm flung to the side. Inwardly he panicked. What was this? It didn't feel like telekinesis; that had a force to fight against, this was a total loss of control. His other arm raised up and he looked at his body in disbelief. Not just a loss of control, his body was moving under someone else's power, like a puppet on a string. He immediately started trying to understand the power even as he panicked. No one controlled him.

Comprehension suddenly clicked in his head and he glared at the puppeteer. He was speaking but Gabriel didn't particularly care about what he had to say. "You think you can control me?" he scoffed. No one was stronger than him. Gabriel focused the power back on to the puppet-master, pushing against the mental walls until they gave and the man collapsed to the ground, blood seeping from his nose.

Meredith ran to her gun and Gabriel teleported himself behind her. _She can make fire and she's running for a gun? _Gabriel was constantly amazed by the stupidity shown by everyone around him. He pushed the gun out of the way, knocking it to the ground and slammed the adrenaline shot into Meredith's chest. He ignored the panic in her eyes as she grabbed his arms, lifting her up as she slumped against him.

She shook in his arms and fire began to dance on the surface of her skin. Gabriel teleported them into a Level 5 cell and propped her against the wall. Her eyes were wide and terrified as she stared at him. He rolled his eyes, reaching out to slap her cheeks lightly.

"Hey, focus Meredith. It's your power, you can control it. Just focus." He lowered his head so he was looking straight into her eyes. "Understand? You need to focus."

She stared at him in disbelief and he smirked. He stood, leaving her slumped against the wall and walked out of the cell. Tuning in to the sounds around him, he could hear Noah on his way, and Claire and Angela still arguing in Angela's office. A twinge of regret passed through him at the horror in his niece's voice but he pushed it ruthlessly aside. Revenge before family.

Noah appeared seconds later and Gabriel watched from the shadows as he rushed into the cell. Meredith was busy panicking, making her fire spiral even more out of control as she tried to warn Noah. Gabriel studied Meredith's gun and emptied it of all of the bullets except for one. Teleporting quickly he switched Bennett's shotgun for the handgun.

Noah immediately spun around. He noticed the gun switch immediately and Gabriel smirked as he flung the door shut, locking Noah and Meredith inside the cell. Noah grabbed the handgun and pointed it at Gabriel through the cell's window. "It's bulletproof, remember Noah?" He flung the shotgun to the ground and enjoyed the look of panicked realization on Noah's face.

Gabriel tilted his head to study Meredith huddled in the corner, flames dancing in her hands. Another mini burst flared up. "At the rate she's going, you're going to need that one bullet I left you." Technically that wasn't true. Meredith could shoot flames at the wall until the adrenaline died down. Although she might not be able to do it before she burnt up all the oxygen in the room. She could also just show some control and put the fire out. Gabriel mentally clicked through the variables and smirked. The outcome didn't look good for Noah.

He leaned down to stare at Bennett through the glass. He could already see Noah contemplating shooting Meredith and saving himself. "Shouldn't be too hard for you," he gloated. After all, Noah was a killer. He'd lied to himself for years, but when it came down to it Noah was little more than a hired gun. "Your life or hers?"

Gabriel straightened, crossing his arms and stepping back from the glass. "You helped make me into who I am," he reminded Noah. He could have been nobody; could have suppressed the hunger for power and simply lived his life. But they had done this to him. They turned him into a killer. A monster. "I just wanted to return the favour." Noah was worse than he is. Worse because he wouldn't acknowledge what he'd done. Now he'd have to.

Noah stared at him through the glass, eyes defiant and Gabriel shook his head. Noah would deny the truth until world's end. He turned and walked away, leaving Noah to decide his fate. He needed to find Angela.

* * *

_more to come!  
_


	9. Elle: The Bike

_AN: So this was written for heroes_bigboom on Livejournal. There's art and a fanmix to go along with it over at my LJ (livejournal . com / b_dsaint) and thank you Annie for betaing and listening to me whine... getting close to the end...  
_

_Thank you to everyone who's put this story on their favourites/left a review. It's so nice to hear from readers! ...  
_

_Disclaimer: Heroes belongs to NBC and Kring... and I suppose maybe other people? I have no idea. I wish I owned Sylar though... and Elle. YUM  
_

* * *

Elle surveyed the scene quickly, before walking purposefully over to the bike. She studied the bike with a critical eye. It was a little large for her, but she was pretty sure she'd be able to handle it. She stepped closer, reaching out to spark the bike to life.

"You like it?"

The stranger's voice startled her and Elle snatched her hand away from the ignition, spinning around with an innocent grin. Her eyes quickly ran over the owner of the bike – tall, blonde hair, blue eyes, boyish good looks – and her smile widened. He eyed her up and down and grinned back.

She blushed prettily, averting her eyes to examine the bike. "It's beautiful. What kind is it?"

"It's a Ducati 848. You know anything about bikes?"

Elle laughed lightly, stepping closer to play her fingers over the handlebar. She stroked it lightly. His eyes followed the movement and he swallowed hard. "Not really. I just like to go fast." She caught his eye with a playful smile as he looked back up at her, face flushed. "Does it go fast?"

He recovered quickly, grin spreading across his face. "Want to find out?" He moved past her to throw a leg over the bike, settling himself on the seat, and patted the space behind him. "Come on, I'll take you for a ride." He waggled his eyebrows at her.

Elle felt her smile tighten, but she quickly bounced forward and climbed on behind him. He turned the key in the ignition and twisted to look back over his shoulder at her. "I'm Chris."

"Elle."

"Like the letter?" he asked teasingly.

Mentally Elle rolled her eyes, but she forced herself to keep her smile bright. "Just like," she chirped back.

Chris laughed, turning back around. Her smile dropped immediately and she wrinkled her nose in disgust. She forced herself to suppress a sigh and the urge to test whether a little shock therapy would improve Chris's sense of humor.

"Well Elle, like the letter, hold on tight."

Her fingers twitched, and she had to push the electricity down. She rolled her eyes but wrapped her arms around his waist. "How fast does this thing go?"

Chris didn't answer, simply gunned his engine and smirked as the bike took off down the road.

* * *

_more to come!  
_


	10. Gabriel: Family

_AN: So this was written for heroes_bigboom on Livejournal. There's art and a fanmix to go along with it over at my LJ (livejournal . com / b_dsaint) and thank you Annie for betaing and listening to me whine... getting close to the end. only a few chapters left  
_

_Thank you to everyone who's put this story on their favourites/left a review. It's so nice to hear from readers! some dialogue swiped from the episode.  
_

_Disclaimer: Heroes belongs to NBC and Kring... and I suppose maybe other people? I have no idea. I wish I owned Sylar though... and Elle. YUM  
_

* * *

Gabriel leaned against the wall with arms crossed, hidden in the shadows as he watched Claire leading Angela through the hallways, shotgun balanced in one hand. He decided after a moment that he definitely had to teach Claire a thing or two about tracking specials if she really wanted to be an agent. She was living up to the blonde stereotype too much for his liking.

Claire let go of Angela's hand to open a door and Gabriel moved. He grabbed Angela, hand over her mouth, and teleported them to her office, leaving her there and teleporting back just in time to grab Claire's hand and follow her through a doorway. To his relief she realized the switch almost immediately and spun around, leveling the shotgun at his chest. He held up his hands in surrender, lips curving into a small smirk.

"Careful. Someone could get hurt."

Claire glared at him and he dropped his hands with an annoyed sigh. "Really, not even a smile? Kids these days, no sense of humour."

"Where's Angela?" Claire's eyes were hard and she bit the words out. He could hear the small tendrils of fear in her voice and a part of him felt guilty. He'd broken something inside of her, he realized, by stealing her power. There was a hardness, a coldness to her that hadn't been there before. Shaking his head, he ruthlessly pushed the realization and guilt away to examine later. He could fix her, he knows he could, but now wasn't the time.

Gabriel idly traced one finger down the length of the shotgun, smirk firmly in place. "Oh Mom's safe. We just need to have a little chat. Mother to abandoned son, you understand. Besides," he ripped the gun away from her and she jumped, backing away, "aren't you curious where your Dad and bio-Mom are?"

"What have you done to them?" Claire grit at him. The fear disappeared as quickly as he sensed it, and Gabriel marveled at her devotion to her family. Even after everything they'd put her through her concern for them was greater than her concern for herself. The contradiction was incomprehensible, even with his intuitive ability.

He let none of his inner thoughts show on his face, his smirk turning playful. He glanced around the hallway, as if searching. "Oh, they're around here somewhere."

"If you've hurt them..." Gabriel tried not to laugh as Claire threatened him. Never mind the fact they shared the same invulnerability, there was just nothing scary about a five-foot blonde girl trying to sound intimidating. True, he mentally conceded, Elle didn't look scary either, but she had her electricity to back up her threats. Claire had no offensive abilities to speak of.

His amusement must have shown on his face because Claire glared at him, expression becoming slightly petulant.

"No one in my family takes me seriously," she growled, half to herself, and Gabriel couldn't stop a grin that flickered briefly.

Claire saw the smile and her eyes narrowed as she backed up. "Uncle or not, I still hate you."

Gabriel didn't quite manage to hide the pain that flickered through him as the truth from her words resonated in his head. "You're entitled," he acknowledged.

Claire glared at him a moment longer before turning and running down the hallway. Gabriel watched her go, torn between stopping her and letting her try to save her parents. He mentally sifted through the outcomes if Claire reached Noah and Meredith in time. Noah's chances of survival increased significantly. Damn. He scowled before deciding to let her go. He'd done enough damage to her. Besides, he had bigger things to worry about. He heaved a put-upon sigh before teleporting back to Angela's office.

"Your granddaughter is quite determined to hate me," he remarked, reappearing with a blink.

Angela continued to stare at a monitor displaying the cell with Meredith and Noah locked in it and didn't respond. He walked towards her until he was standing slightly to her left, and studied the monitor as well. "Funny how that keeps happening in this family," he continued.

She turned to him then, arms crossed tightly over her chest. "You killed Arthur?" She asked, and there was a note of pleading in her tone that caused Gabriel to pause.

"I certainly did," he admitted finally. His eyes narrowed as the tension suddenly seemed to flow out of her.

"Then you saved the world," she breathed. She opened her eyes and he was startled to see a sheen of tears there. Pride, sadness, guilt, love... they all radiated from her and he couldn't make sense of it all. "I was right about you; you are a hero."

Gabriel glared, turning away and walking across the room. Angela's strange mix of emotions continued to radiate, confusing him and distracting him from what he'd planned to say. "I don't think so." Hatred burned in his chest as she continued.

"I do. I always wanted this for you. I dreamed about it. And now that Arthur's dead there's no one to hold you back, no one to take advantage of you." Her voice rang with the truth but quickly the note went sour. Gabriel spun around as the dissonance rose, slamming a chair under her, ignoring the spike of fear as Angela gripped the armrests.

"Except you," he growled.

He could feel Angela's fear but he couldn't see it; she held herself tightly but her face remained calm. "Gabriel, I cared for you. I gave you love. I gave you guidance. Everything a mother can give, I gave you."

Gabriel waited for the echo of disgust to accompany Angela's words, but it never came. Confused, he pulled away slowly from the chair. Angela followed him with her eyes as he walked around her and paced, finally coming to a rest against the bookshelf.

"Are you really my family?" Gabriel studied Angela, trying to see inside her and make all the pieces fit.

Angela smiled tightly, tears in her eyes. "Of course. I'm your mother."

Gabriel waited and waited, but the disgust that had coloured Arthur's tones so completely never came. For a brief moment his expression relaxed and he smiled at her. This... this was what he had been looking for. His mother, accepting him. For one brief second, mother and son smiled at each other, reunited. But then reality returned and Gabriel's eyes grew hard.

"Then why did you abandon me? If you loved me, wanted to guide me. Why leave me to be a nobody, if you dreamed I'd be a hero?" he sneered the last word. He sounded enraged, but he couldn't hide the pleading desperation under the anger. Angela gripped the arms of the chair and took a slow breath, trying to relax the returning tension in her muscles.

"When you were a baby, I had one of my dreams. I dreamed of what you would become." She spoke slowly, eyes fixed on his face. He didn't look surprised and she realized Arthur must have already told him this part of the story. "You must understand Gabriel, my dreams are visions. They're symbolic and they always come true. In my dream you were a killer; you were the end of your father and you were the end of your brother."

Gabriel glared at her and paced in frustration. She was telling the truth and it ripped at him. "You made me this way, you and your damn Company. You turned me into a killer!"

Angela nodded once, swallowing hard. "The vision terrified me," she admitted. "Can you imagine how that felt Gabriel? To be terrified of your own son, to know he's going to mean the death of your husband? I was frightened of you. And for you. But I still loved you."

Gabriel slowed in his pacing as the truth rang in his head. He sat down slowly on the couch, eyes fixed on Angela's face. "You tried to kill me," he insisted, but there was no conviction in his words. The emotions from Angela were too overwhelming, the truth too pure.

"No." She tilted her head slightly, a familiar gesture Gabriel suddenly recognized as one of his own. "Is that what Arthur told you?" She sighed deeply at his nod. "At the time, I didn't know what Arthur would become; was already becoming. When I told him what I saw, he arranged for you to be sent away. He never told me where you were."

It was still the truth, but the slightest hint of falsehood echoed. Gabriel's eyes narrowed. "Maybe he sent me away. But you never looked for me," he growled at her.

Pain and fear reflected in Angela's eyes as she shook her head. "I didn't," she acknowledged. "He said you were safe, that the vision could never come to pass, and I let him convince me it was for the best. Arthur can be, could be, very persuasive. And I wanted to believe him." She whispered the last words sadly.

Gabriel searched her face, emotions in turmoil. The pieces of the story were like fragments in his head, refusing to come together to form a whole picture. "But then why order Elle and Bennett to turn me into a killer?"

"At the time Gabriel, I simply didn't know you were my son. All I knew was that you had a gift, a gift the Company could manipulate and exploit. I should have realized sooner, you have a version of Arthur's power just like Peter does, but I was distracted and saw the truth too late." Angela's voice was soft in its conviction and carried just a hint of regret. "When you were brought to Level 5 and I realized who you were I demanded you be kept alive."

Memories of his time in Level 5, and the weeks of being powerless, flickered through Gabriel's mind and he growled in anger. "Some mother," he spat. "You let Bennett torture me, let them take away my powers!"

"I did what I could Gabriel," Angela responded sharply, "to protect my sons. All three of them. I wanted my sons to be heroes, to save the world. I didn't want them to be killers, but sometimes it's the only way."

The truth rang in his head and sat heavy in his stomach. Angela had regrets, he could feel them, but she was also firm in her conviction that everything she'd done had been for the greater good. The past was past, and nothing would change it. They could only move forward.

* * *

_more to come!  
_


	11. Elle: Liability

_AN: So this was written for heroes_bigboom on Livejournal. There's art and a fanmix to go along with it over at my LJ (livejournal . com / b_dsaint) and thank you Annie for betaing and listening to me whine... getting close to the end. only a few chapters left  
_

_Thank you to everyone who's put this story on their favourites/left a review. It's so nice to hear from readers!  
_

_Disclaimer: Heroes belongs to NBC and Kring... and I suppose maybe other people? I have no idea. I wish I owned Sylar though... and Elle. YUM  
_

* * *

Elle made herself count to one hundred as the streets sped by in a blur. They'd left the city only minutes before, but already she itched to electrocute Chris and steal the bike. She knew it wasn't the brightest of ideas. He'd crash and probably total the bike. Best case scenario she'd end up back in the hospital, and she really, really hated hospitals. Except she needed some way of getting him off the bike so she could steal it. Idly she contemplated the odds she'd survive a crash in good enough shape to ride the bike. Her father had always said she was too impulsive.

Thoughts of her father made her scowl. As long as they were heading north she could wait, she reasoned. As the thought crossed her mind, Chris leaned to the side, turning the bike in a large U-turn and headed back towards the city. She groaned, burying her face between his shoulder blades. Looked like electrocution was going to be the plan.

The sudden slowing of the bike caught her off guard and she lifted her head in surprise. Chris edged the bike on to the shoulder, dragging his feet as the bike rolled to a stop and shutting off the engine.

"Why are we stopping?" Elle asked, slight alarm in her voice.

Chris twisted on the seat to grin back at her. "What'd you think? She go fast enough for you?"

Elle forced a smile. "I don't know..." She lowered her eyes, staring up at him through her eyelashes as she pouted playfully. "I'm sure I've seen faster."

Chris laughed, shaking his head. His blue eyes sparkled. "Well how 'bout you show me how its done then?"

Elle blinked in shock. "Excuse me?"

He grinned, climbing off the bike and standing at her side, one hand gripping the handlebars and the other coming behind her to grab the seat. He leaned in close, teasing challenge in his voice. He gestured with his chin to the ignition. "Want to drive?"

Elle studied him for a moment before a real smile lit up her face. "Really?"

Chris smiled back. "Really."

She scooted forward on the seat, settling herself comfortably and gripping the handlebars. Chris stood up to watch her examination of the instruments with amusement.

Elle couldn't believe her good luck. She studied the controls of the bike curiously. Confident she knew how to operate the machine, she whipped her hand out to rest on Chris's chest. She twisted her head to stare sideways at him through narrowed eyes. "I really am sorry about this." Electricity coursed through her fingers.

Chris's eyes widened in shock as he jerked stiffly and fell to the ground. He glared up at her through pain-filled eyes, limbs twitching.

Elle looked down at him. "I am sorry you know. You're not very bright, and you have a horrible sense of humour, but you're not a bad person." She raised a hand towards him, electricity crackling. It hung there a moment, blue sparks tracing over her skin and jumping between her fingers before Elle groaned and dropped her hand, sparks disappearing. "Neither am I. At least, I don't want to be."

Elle turned the key in the ignition, straightening the bike and kicking off the break. "I'll bring it back to you. Well. Maybe." She smiled tightly before kicking the bike into gear and speeding away from Chris.

She glanced back once to see Chris pulling himself shakily to his feet, staring after her. She sighed tightly before focusing on the road. He'd seen her use her powers. He was a liability, a loose end as her father would say. She should have killed him, erased the evidence. Just like the guy in the alley.

But Elle was glad she'd let them both live. Daddy hadn't always known best, after all.

* * *

_more to come!  
_


	12. Gabriel: Blame

_AN: So this was written for heroes_bigboom on Livejournal. There's art and a fanmix to go along with it over at my LJ (livejournal . com / b_dsaint) and thank you Annie for betaing and listening to me whine... we're almost at the end!  
_

_Thank you to everyone who's put this story on their favourites/left a review. I love hearing what you guys think.  
_

_Disclaimer: Heroes belongs to NBC and Kring... and I suppose maybe other people? I have no idea. I wish I owned Sylar though... and Elle. YUM  
_

* * *

"Why tell me now, you knew who I was months ago." Gabriel didn't hide the bitterness in his voice as he dropped on to the couch.

Angela rolled her eyes, climbing to her feet and crossing her arms. "Oh don't be petulant with me Gabriel. You would have never believed me while your adoptive mother was alive. Then you got yourself run through with a sword, do you remember that? I saved you Gabriel. And how did you repay me? By running away and stealing the last cure we had for the Shanti virus."

Gabriel felt a smidgen of guilt for his actions before he scowled up at his mother. "Well if your company hadn't infected me with the virus in the first place, I wouldn't have needed to steal the cure!"

Angela waved her hand airily, dismissing Gabriel's complaints. She'd completely regained her composure. "Of course, after that business with Noah in Level Five, I had to bring you into the Company. It was either that or let Noah kill you for taking Claire's ability. You really shouldn't taunt him as you do, he's a very valuable member of the Company."

Gabriel opened his mouth, apology on his lips, before he stopped incredulously. Five minutes of knowing, for sure, Angela was his mother and she had him feeling like an errant teenager. His eyes narrowed in anger as he surged to his feet. "Well if someone hadn't abandoned me as a child because of a vision, maybe I wouldn't be such a disappointment!"

Angela turned to him, face sad. "You're not a disappointment Gabriel. None of my boys are. Well," she paused, deliberating. "Not completely."

Gabriel raised an eyebrow slowly, wheels turning in his head as he studied her. "Which son?" He growled.

Angela tilted her head to study him. "What do you mean?"

Gabriel scoffed as her dishonest reaction rang in his head. "In your vision. You said I was the end of my father and of my brother. Well you made your own vision come true, sending me a way and turning me into a killer. I've killed Arthur. So which brother is it?"

"Maybe sending you away caused my vision to be fulfilled, maybe not. We'll never know so it's not worth discussing. As for your brothers..." she trailed off. "I used to fear it was Peter. He's more powerful than Nathan. His power is almost the same as yours. The both of you... you have no understanding of your true potential. You've barely scrapped the surface of what you're capable of. Of course now it's gone. Peter's powerless." She sighed heavily. "I suppose it must be Nathan." Her voice was sad.

"If Peter listened to me, he has his power back." Gabriel admitted reluctantly.

"What?" Angela asked sharply.

"Arthur finished the formula before I killed him. Nathan was there. I..." he hesitated. "I told Peter to take the shot."

"How could you be so foolish? You have no idea what that shot will do to him." Angela paced quickly, fidgeting with her pearls nervously. She shot a glare at Gabriel. "You may have killed him!"

Gabriel sneered. "Me? Who sent him after Arthur in the first place?"

"Personally I think you're both monsters."

Gabriel and Angela spun toward the door. Claire stood glaring at them.

"Claire..." Angela took a step forward towards her granddaughter but stopped at the dark look Claire shot her.

"Save it. I can't believe you didn't tell me that Sylar is my uncle. Your son! I don't want to hear your excuses. The only person in this family that doesn't disgust me at the moment is Peter." Claire bit off her words between clenched teeth. She spun on her foot, pushing past Noah as he appeared in the doorway. "Get Angela out of here. We have to go."

Gabriel turned to the monitor. In her cell Meredith was mid-meltdown, flames exploding from her hands and licking up the walls. Annoyance flooded through him. Could these people learn nothing? He whirled towards Angela, grabbing her arm and pushing her towards the door. "Go with Claire! This whole building is going to blow."

Angela cast a hesitant look at the monitor before nodding reluctantly and walking out the door. Noah moved to the side as she passed, but stepped directly back into Gabriel's path as he made to follow her.

"Noah, move." Gabriel growled in frustration. Who knew how long Meredith would be able to hold out. He was disappointed, despite the odds he'd been hoping she would figure out how to control the fire. Or at least manage to kill Noah.

Noah stared coldly back at him. "You know, I don't know if you're Angela's son or not. At this point I don't really care. You hurt my Claire and No one. Touches. Claire."

Gabriel rolled his eyes, even as the cold truth of Noah's words rang dully in his head, sending a prickling unease down his spine. "You can't hurt me Noah. Invulnerable, remember?"

Noah smiled at Gabriel with dead eyes. "No?" He grabbed Gabriel by his collar, pulling him in close and shoving a large shard of glass through the back of his skull in one smooth motion. "Sure about that?"

Noah stood still for a moment as Gabriel's body slid to the floor, collapsing into a rapidly growing pool of blood. "Goodbye, Sylar."

* * *

_only one more to go!  
_


	13. Gabriel and Elle: Beginnings

_AN: So this was written for heroes_bigboom on Livejournal. There's art and a fanmix to go along with it over at my LJ (livejournal . com / b_dsaint) and thank you Annie for betaing and listening to me whine... here's the end!  
_

_Thank you to everyone who's put this story on their favourites/left a review. I love hearing what you guys think. Now that it's over, I hope you all let me know how it was?  
_

_Disclaimer: Heroes belongs to NBC and Kring... and I suppose maybe other people? I have no idea. I wish I owned Sylar though... and Elle.  
_

* * *

Elle saw the smoke while she was still a mile off from Primatech. Her heart clenched in her chest and she gunned the engine, pushing the bike to its limit as she raced down the road. She almost threw herself off the bike as she slammed on the brakes in the parking lot. The bike skidded sideways in the gravel before coming to a rest. Elle's eyes raked frantically over the smoking building.

"Gabriel!" She screamed.

She fumbled in her pocket for her stolen cell phone, pressing the buttons frantically with shaking hands. She held it to her ear, breathing heavily as it rang once... twice... before switching over to voicemail. She growled in frustration, throwing the phone across the lot where it bounced off the downed Ducati.

Clumsy in her panic, Elle pulled off her t-shirt, holding the bundled fabric up to her nose and mouth. Taking a deep breath she ran towards the entrance, flinging the door open. She darted inside, moving easily through the familiar halls despite the thick smoke. She coughed heavily into her t-shirt, trying to keep her breaths even as she breathed through the flimsy fabric.

Her feet knew the way to the security room. She pushed her way in, ignoring the faceless body of a security guard in the chair. Her eyes moved over the screens, landing quickly on Angela's office. In the corner of the screen Gabriel lay unmoving. Elle raced back out of the room, heedless of the smoke and bolted down the hallway.

She burst into Angela's office, heart pounding. "Gabriel!"

Tears filled her eyes as she nearly tripped over Gabriel's prone form. For a moment she was back in the storage room, kneeling over Gabriel's body as he bled out from his neck. The same feelings of despair and hopelessness washed over her. It had been in that moment, as she'd watched her dreams of a normal life with Gabriel shatter into a million blood-drenched pieces, that she'd realized how much she'd loved him.

She sniffed, trying to pull herself together as she yanked her t-shirt back on over her head. Gabriel had come back to life in her arms once before, he could do it again.

Elle knelt quickly and rolled Gabriel's body over into her lap. She blanched at the bloody piece of glass sticking grotesquely from the back of his head. She gripped it tightly, ignoring the pain as the sharp edges cut deeply into her hand, and yanked as hard as she could. The shard slid out of his head with a slick, wet sound and she gagged as she threw it across the room.

She coughed, the smoke burning her lungs and eyes, as the wound in Gabriel's skull knit itself back together. His body surged as he took a breath, letting it out in a deep cough. Elle smiled through her tears as Gabriel rolled on to his back with a groan. He blinked up at Elle, touching two fingers to her tear and soot streaked face.

"Elle," he said roughly. "We've got to stop meeting like this."

Elle laughed, leaning down to press a kiss briefly to his lips. She struggled to her feet, pulling on his hand. "Come on, we've got to get out of here."

Gabriel let her drag him upwards, looking around in bleary confusion. She tugged on his hand, dragging him out into the hallway. Suddenly the smoke seemed to register with him and he cursed.

"Meredith," he growled. He grabbed Elle's hand and pulled her close to him. "Hold on," he ordered. They teleported before Elle could form a protest.

They reappeared in the hallway of Level 5. Smoke poured out of the cell in front of them and flames crawled across the walls. Elle looked around in horror as Gabriel walked straight into the cell. She clambered after him.

"I told you to focus, Meredith!" Gabriel scolded the woman huddled in the corner.

Shaking with adrenaline and fright, Meredith scowled at him. "You did this to me! You're a monster!"

Gabriel dropped to the ground in front of Meredith, gripping her shoulders tightly. He ignored the flames burning his shirt and focused on meeting Meredith's eyes. "Listen to me! You are letting your power control you! It's your power! You control it! Now focus!"

"I can't!" Meredith cried as another fireball erupted from between her clasped hands.

Gabriel rolled his eyes as his skin knit itself quickly back together, healing the burns on his face and neck. He shook Meredith roughly. "Come on, Bio-Mom! It's a good thing you gave up Claire, otherwise she'd be as spineless as you! Focus your breathing, calm down and control your power!"

Meredith's eyes met his full of defiance, panic and hope. She tried to take deep breaths, focusing on the dark gaze in front of her. Elle watched in amazement as Meredith's breathing deepened and slowed. Gabriel kept his gaze fixed on Meredith's, matching her breath for breath. He could feel her muscles relaxing under his hands.

The flames became smaller; shrinking in on themselves until they were concentrated in Meredith's hands. She looked at the small cup of flame in wonder before staring back up at Gabriel in amazement.

Gabriel smirked, releasing Meredith's shoulders. He cupped his hands over hers briefly, trapping the flame between their hands, before turning his hand over with a flourish. A small flame sparked in his palm. "Thanks." She stared at him in bewilderment.

He climbed to his feet, looking around as Meredith rose shakily. Smoke still filled the cell and Elle could feel her eyes stinging. She moved quickly to Gabriel's side and he pulled her close. He looked back at Meredith, sighed heavily, and grabbed her shoulder again.

A brief moment later they were standing outside the building next to Elle's stolen bike. Elle coughed in the suddenly fresh air, even as she took deep gasping breathes as. She scowled at Gabriel and Meredith, both unaffected by the smoke because of their powers. Gabriel rubbed her back soothingly, turning to face her, ignoring Meredith completely.

Meredith stared at them, incredulous, before turning and walking away, shaking her head. Elle watched her go through blurry eyes.

"Where's she going?"

Gabriel looked back over his shoulder briefly before turning back to Elle, Meredith dismissed from his mind. "Don't know. Don't care." He cupped Elle's face and thumbed her cheeks. "Are you OK?"

Elle nodded, swallowing back another cough. "Yeah I'm fine." She smiled up at him. "So are you."

Gabriel smiled tenderly, thumbs tracing the lines of her face. "You saved me, Elle."

She shrugged bashfully. "It was nothing." Her face fell, remembering the terror she felt at seeing his lifeless body at her feet for the second time in a week. "You scared me. Who was it?"

Gabriel shook his head as he dropped his hands from her face. "No one important." He glanced over at the building, still smoking. "They're going to think I'm dead..." he realized. "My mother, my brothers..."

Elle scowled. "So what? You don't need them." Bitterness rose in her at the thought of Angela Petrelli.

Gabriel brushed a kiss across her forehead. His hands rubbed her arms soothingly, trying to calm her. "They're family, Elle."

"So what? Family isn't so great," she scoffed. She smiled sadly as thoughts of her dad filled her mind. "Didn't you tell me that once?"

Gabriel arched an eyebrow. His brows knit together in confusion as he searched his brain. "Did I? I don't remember."

She shrugged with small grin. "Maybe not. It's true though. Besides, if you're dead, Angela can't try to tell you what to do."

Gabriel fell silent. A million thoughts raced through his mind. Thoughts of Angela and her visions, of Peter and his powers. He stared at the smoke rising from the building, contemplating.

After a long moment Elle touched his arm lightly. "Gabriel?" She questioned.

"My mother said I'd be the end of one of my brothers." He turned his face to look at her and Elle's breath caught at the bleakness in his eyes. "Why would I do that? Why would I kill my brother? With Arthur it was to save the world, but Peter? Nathan?"

Elle rested her hand along the side of his face. "Hey. Angela thinks your dead, right? Her visions can't control you. You won't kill your brothers."

Gabriel's eyes slid past her back to the building, even as he covered her hand with his own. Variables clicked together in his brain as he watched the smoke rise into the sky. "I hope you're right..."

Another long moment passed and Elle felt a chilling realization wash over her. Gabriel's eyes moved back to hers, full of conviction, and Elle's heart sank. Pasting a smile on her face she forced the tears back, sliding out of Gabriel's arms.

"Go on. It's the only way."

Gabriel nodded, moving back towards the building. Elle walked quickly toward her bike, tears that had nothing to do with smoke stinging in her eyes. So much for her happy ending.

"Elle?"

Gabriel's soft tone stopped Elle in her tracks and she spun to look at him. He had taken a half-step in her direction, arm raised out to her. She smiled tightly, ignoring the tears on her cheeks. "No. We'll have to split up, it's the only way to stay under Angela's radar. You know that." She nodded at the building. "Besides, you've got stuff to do, things to figure out."

"Will you be OK?"

Elle laughed harshly, but there was no amusement in it. "Me? Of course I will, I'm Elle Bishop. Places to go, people to see." She gestured behind her at the Ducati. "I've got to return that to a friend."

Gabriel nodded slowly, face impassive, and she shooed him off. "Go! I'll be fine. It's you who should be worried. I know who I am, but who is Gabriel Petrelli?" She teased gently. "You're going to have to figure that out."

He gave her a half-smile she returned before spinning on her heel and lifting the bike. She straddled it quickly, turning the key. The ignition grumbled slightly before refusing to turn over. Elle rolled her eyes and sparked the ignition with a quick tap of her finger. The engine purred to life and she kicked off, speeding away and refusing to look back. If she spent another moment with him she'd lose her conviction and beg him to stay with her. He'd left her at the hospital, this time she got to do the leaving.

Behind her, Primatech exploded.

* * *

_and... scene. ;-)  
_


End file.
